Design for reuse
How do you make drinking cups for the festival industry future-proof?
This question was my starting point when designing a plastic drinking cup within an ecosystem in which it is used, collected, cleaned, stored and reused. Several times a year, and several years in a row.
In order to make a cup that optimally matches this process, Rake Lijnen investigated the life- and use cycle of festival cups with Bordex and Starcups. Until then, existing cups were mainly developed by mold builders, with a strong emphasis on cost price and efficiency. In addition, the new processing system set high requirements with regard to cleanability and impact resistance.
These insights led to a cup design that functions optimally within the Starcups reuse system, but also has tangible benefits for the user and our environment.
Part of the design challenge was to find a balance between the interests for our environment, the operator and the end user.
For the festival visitor, the ecosystem means a smooth ordering and return cycle, a cup with the drinking feeling of a "real glass" and the awareness of contributing to a better environment.
For the operator, the cup is a reliable, efficient link in the chain. The environmental benefit is significant, because the cup saves raw material, weight, space and energy at all stages of the use process (transport, storage, use, intake, cleaning).
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